Gareth Thomas ‘questioned coming out’ after anti-gay abuse

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I find him tiresome. He’s out now, can we stop hearing the same stuff over and over? Also, quit saying you want to be a rolemodel Gareth. Getting married to a woman and staying closeted until your 30s is not my idea of a good rolemodel.

Well I could think of worse role models. Sure he could come from an environment where when you out yourself at 14 your parents hug you, throw a big street party and ask which of your schoolmates you have a crush on, but outing is individual to everybody and their circumstances. I always think the kids with the liberal supportive parents and peers have it lucky and to some extent simply don’t appreciate how lucky they are.
IMO rugby has a reputation as a hetrosexual bastion so coming out in such a testosterone fuelled environment is a big deal.
My only concern here is confessing in the Daily Mail of all places that the homophobic terrace chants get to you. It’s rather like telling the school bully that he really hurt your feelings when he slammed your head in the toilet yesterday… do you really imagine he gives a crap. To the homophobic mindset typified by your avarage Daily Mail reader, telling them they make us feel uncomfortable in their presence is precisely the payoff they were looking for in the first place.
There are times to spill your guts and times to button your lip, and demonstrating vulnerability re. sexuality and taunting to Mail readers is one of those.

Daily Mail: It was in December last year that the 36-year-old – the most capped player in Welsh history, a 6ft 3in giant who captained Wales in 2005 to their first Grand Slam win since 1978 – chose the Daily Mail to reveal to the world that he is gay.

Agree with Flapjack. Why couldn’t he have chosen Pink News instead? But I think Gareth is doing good work now.

My advice is to get used to it. Being subject to homophobic abuse usually verbal, mostly aggressive and sometimes violent appears to be a “normal” part of being part of a same sex couple. Luckily apart we don’t offend the sensibilities of these insensible homophobes.

Anti-gay abuse directed at myself and my partner makes us want to hold hands in public and be a “normal” affectionate couple more NOT less. We are not going to let the small minority of outspoken and sometimes aggressivly violent homophobes make us hide who we are or change our behaviour.

A lot of those yelling abuse are probably attempting to hide a screaming girlish meltdown when they compare themselves to Gareth, it’s all about them and their own hysterical insecurity, they need to get a grip.

I don’t know whether Gareth Thomas reads Pink News, or indeed, the comment page. If he does, I wish him well; he’s been tremendously brave, he’s a superb role model for young men, whether gay or straight, and if you can close your ears to the chanting of the Homophobic mob, just carry on showing them that your unchosen sexuality is nothing whatever to do with how you play the game.